Automatic door-opening device



A. E. THOMAS.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENINGDEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I7, 1920. 5

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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A. E. THOMAS. AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENING DEVICE.

0w 2. 92 1.1 9% s AWN E M 2 m M 0 2 x 9 APPLICATION FILED JAN-17' 1,354,632.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. THOMAS, OF VI'AYNE, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC DOOR-OPENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filed January 17, 1920. Serial No. 352,035.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at ayne, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Door-Opening Devices, and declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for automatically opening and closing a door or doors and is particularly designed for use in connection with the door or doors of a garage, or other building in which vehicles are housed, and is here shown in conjunction with a' garage door, the approach to which is an inclined plane, the weight of the vehicle being used to set the apparatus in motion and operate the doors.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 shows my device attached to sliding doors wherein .the doors are shown closed. r

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the device in the position where the doors are Fig. 3 is a ground plan view showing the movable vehicle track.

Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view longitudinally of the track showing the depressible floor sections taken interior of the frame.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the frame.

Let a and Z) represent sliding doors-adapt ed for movement upon an overhead track 0 by means of overhanging rollers (Z, cl. Let 6 represent the floor of the garage, h the beginning of an inclined'approach leading to the door, such approach being completed by the movable vehicle track or depressible floor member 2'. The other depressible floor; member which is hinged'to' member z' at the door sill and extends 'rearwardly interior of the garage is indicated at These depressible floor members are adapted for vertical and longitudinal movement and are carried interiorly of an adjustable frame Z which formssides of a longitudinal boxlike recess in the floor and is hinged together over the sill' so as to be adjusted to the particular degree of incline leading to the garage door. This frame is not hinged together to permit movement of its mem bers, but merely to permit of its adjustment. The hinged trackmembers z and j, as is apparent from the drawing, are adapted to move downwardly when weight is applied thereon, as of a moving vehicle, and coincident with this downward movement there is a longitudinal movement.

Each of these members may be adapted to'yield longitudinally, the rearward member being provided with a longitudinally movable pivot, as shown in the drawings, Figs. at and 5, where the frame Z is slotted at Z to receive projecting pivot j? carried by the floor member j. On the other hand the floor member 2' might be pivoted at 7' and the outer floor member 2' be the only one that was permitted longitudinal movement. It will be observed that the outer floor member 2' moves over a roller m carried by the frame. This is provided merely tofacilitate longitudinal extension. Disposed underneath the vertically yielding track members 2' and j at the door sill is arm n of a bell-crank, the upright arm of which is indicated as 0. This arm n is provided with rearwardly-extending parallel forks a a pivoted at n to the frame. It will thus be seen that the downward movement of the depressible floor piece y will force downwardly this bail-like arm a carried thereunderncath, which in turn will actuate the upright arm 0 and as the opposite end of the arm 0 is pivoted to a rotatable disk 2) carried on an axis 72 this disk will be rotated about its axis upon the downward movement of the arm 0.

Disk p is provided with a door-actuating lever Q slotted at 9 to receive a pin 1* carried by the door. This door-actuating lever g is pivoted to the disk as at s, but is adapted for adjustment thereon by means of a series of perforations s in which the extremity of the arm 9 is fastened so as to adjust its angle with the radius of the disk. This adjustment is for regulating the extent to which the door would open upon the rotation of the disk a determined distance.

Cushioning springs t and t are attached to the periphery of the disk on opposite sides, the opposite ends of said springs being carried by the plate which supports the disk as indicated. This is merely for adapted to operate acomplementary door in similar manner. Cushioning springs are in this instance provided for like purpose.

These springs perform yet another function. The spring 5 is of sufficiently greater strength than the spring 5 so that when the weight of the vehicle is removed from the depressible floor member the spring 23 will rotate the disk in such a manner as to close the door lifting the depressible floor member to its normal position. Complementary door a is so connected that same may be opened without opening the door 6, by hZLV-' ing the door-actuating arm 9 provided with a sleeve 14 which is freely mounted on the rod a. It will thus be seen that although the door a may be opened as a single unit that opening of the door Z) will likewise serve to open the door a.

It will be further apparent that this double door construction would only be necessary in those cases where it was essential that two doors be used to provide a sufli ciently wide passageway.

There is provided in the floor of the boxlike recess of the garage an adjustable stop pin 42 which is positioned underneath the arm/n, so as to restrain downward move ment of said arm beyond a certain fixed point. This pin is vertically adjustable so as to determine the extent of downward movement.

It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the section of thefioor e is shown as overlapping the rearward end of the hinged floor member j in such a manner that a vehicle would run onto such depressible floor members at a point somewhat distant'from its pivot, thus securing at the instant a greater amount of leverage.

The operation of this device is as follows: An approaching vehicle rides up the incline plane it and as its weight falls upon the track member '5 this moves outwardly and downwardly. This downward move ment carried with it the arm nor the bail member which in turn actuates rod p in such a manner as to operate the door.

What I claim is:

1. In a door-actuating mechanism, a depressible floor member adapted to serve as a vehicle track and to be depressed by the weight of a vehicle thereon, a suitably mounted door, a rotatable disk positioned above said door provided with a depending arm one end of which is pivoted-thereto, the other end of said arm bent-to be received under saiddepressible floor member so that downward movement of the floor member will rotate the disk to open the door, means provided to rotate the disk in the opposite direction to close the door when the weight is removed from the depressible floor member. 7

2. In a door actuating mechanism, a depressible floor member adapted to serve as a vehicle track and adapted to be depressed by the weight of a' vehicle thereon, a suitably mounted door, a rotatable disk provided with means connecting with said door so that rotation of the disk in one direction will open the door and rotation of the disk in the reverse direction will close the door, means disposed underneath said depressible floor adapted to be moved downward by the movement thereof, connecting means between said disk and said means disposed underneath said depressible floor member so that depression of the ioor will actuate said disk, springs attached on opposite sides of said disk in such a manner as to resist sudden actuation thereof, one of said springs being of greater strength than the other so as to close the door when the weight is removed from said depressible floor member.

3. In a door-actuating mechanism, a sliding door suspended by overhanging rollers from an overheadtrack, a rotatable disk, an arm connecting said disk with said door in such a manner that rotation of the disk will open the door, a pair of depressible floor members hinged together at the door sill adapted to serve as a vehicle track and adapted for downward movement at the sill when said members receive the weight of a vehicle, meansadaptedto be actuated with the downward movement of said floor members to rotate said disk so as to open'the door, a spring adapted to resist the rotation of said disk in the opening of the door and of suflicient strength to rotatethe disk in a reverse direction, closing the door upon the removal of the vehicle from the depressible floor members.

4. In a door-operating mechanism, depressible floor members adapted to serve as a vehicle track hinged together at the door sill and adapted for downward movement thereat, a frame inclosing said depressible floor members, a cross-arm extending underneath said floor members provided with rearwardly-extending forks pivoted to the frame, a door suitably mounted, a rotatable disk, a link connecting said disk and said door in such a manner that rotation of the disk in one direction will open the door and rotation of the disk in the reverse direction will close the door, means connecting said disk to said cross arm in such a manner that downward movement of said arm will rotate the disk to open the door, cushioning springs, one attached to each side of said disk so as to regulate the movement thereof, one of said springs of sufliciently greater strength than the other so that when the weight of the vehicle is removed from the depressible floor member said spring will rotate said disk in the reverse direction to close the door.

5. In a door operating mechanism, a door mounted by means of rollers operating on an overhead track, a stud on the door, a rotatable disk, an arm pivoted to said disk adj ustable as to the angle which it forms with a radius of the disk, the opposite end of said arm being slotted to engage the stud on the door, depressible floor members adapted to serve as a vehicle track and to be depressed by the weight of a vehicle thereon, said floor members pivoted together at the door sill and adapted for downward movement thereat, means for regulating the downward movement of said depressible floor members, means for regulating the extent of downward movement of said depressible floor members, means disposed underneath said floor members connecting with said disk in such a manner that downward movement of said floor members will rotate said disk so as to open the door, means "for rotating the disk in the reverse direction to close the door when the weight is removed from said depressible floor members.

6. In a door operating mechanism, a pair of doors slidably mounted by means of rollers operating on an overhead track, a depressible floor member adapted to serve as the vehicle track and adapted to be depressed when the weight of a vehicle falls thereon, a rotatable disk provided with means connecting the same with one of the doors in such a manner that rotation of the disk in one direction will open the door, means operated by said depressible floor connecting with said disk so as to actuate the disk to open the door upon depression of the floor member, a like door-actuating arm carried by the second door of said pair, means carried by the disk to operate said second door-actuating arm in such a way as to open the door, such means so adapted that the second door may be opened as a unit without actuating the disk, but that actuation of the disk will open the door, means for rotating said disk so as to close the door when the weight is removed from the depressible floor member.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

ARTHUR E. THOMAS. 

